Today we live in a society where at risk behaviors such as drunk driving are not condoned, behaviors such as this puts others at risk for injury and even death. With no exemptions on laws that prohibit drunk driving, there shouldn’t be exemptions on laws that allow parents the option of not getting their young children vaccinated. Vaccinations are a vital part of a child’s health and well being. Young children who are not vaccinated can pose an even greater threat to children under the age of 1 who are too young to get vaccinated, and individuals who have weakened immune systems due to age and other illnesses. It is not altruistic for parents to refuse vaccinations due to their own personal beliefs. Being a mother of 2 children, I am a firm believer in the rights of parents to raise their children as they see fit, however I do believe that personal as well as public health transcends over a right such as this. Eradication of communicable diseases has been successful in the US as a part of immunization policies. Aside from less severe childhood illnesses such as chicken pox, Conjunctivitis (also known as Pink Eye), and an ear infection, opponent parents should be well educated and informed of the risks and fatalities that result from the absence of …show more content…
As parents, the natural instinct to protect your children will overbear any medical recommendation. However, the choice of not vaccinating your children is selfish to the child as well as others in society. With the proper precautions and research, scheduled vaccinations will have a higher success rate than failure rate. Every parent is entitled to their parental rights in the US, but every person in society is also entitled to their health as well. “The best way to reduce vaccine-preventable diseases is to have highly immune population” (Centers for Disease